Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Pittsburgh, PA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Pittsburgh has a population of about 303,620. Median household income is $64,137 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 47.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Pittsburgh, PA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $133,040 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Pittsburgh

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Pittsburgh. Distances are calculated from Pittsburgh city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Pittsburgh. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Pennsylvania schools on the Pennsylvania criminal justice page.

Criminal Justice Wages Near Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is part of the Pittsburgh, PA metro area (BLS area code 38300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney	$133,040	Pittsburgh, PA	$140,486
Judge or Magistrate	$110,580	PA statewide	$116,769
Police Supervisor	$103,060	Pittsburgh, PA	$108,828
Detective or Criminal Investigator	$95,120	Pittsburgh, PA	$100,444
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer	$83,190	Pittsburgh, PA	$87,846
Correctional Officer	$60,540	Pittsburgh, PA	$63,928
Probation Officer	$82,220	Pittsburgh, PA	$86,822
Forensic Science Technician	$55,380	Pittsburgh, PA	$58,479
Paralegal or Legal Assistant	$63,620	Pittsburgh, PA	$67,181
Information Security Analyst	$103,630	Pittsburgh, PA	$109,430

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Pittsburgh at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	303,620	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$64,137	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	47.8%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	94.7 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Pittsburgh-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Bethel Park, PA – 8.6 mi away (31,911 pop)
Monroeville, PA – 11.4 mi away (27,953 pop)
Plum, PA – 12.7 mi away (27,399 pop)
Murrysville, PA – 16.9 mi away (20,042 pop)
Monessen, PA – 20.5 mi away (63,467 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Pittsburgh, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Pittsburgh. The closest is Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Point Park University (1.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Pittsburgh?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Pittsburgh are: Attorney ($133,040), Judge or Magistrate ($110,580), Information Security Analyst ($103,630). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Bethel Park instead of Pittsburgh?

Bethel Park, PA is 8.6 miles from Pittsburgh and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Pittsburgh an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Pittsburgh’s median household income of $64,137 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Pittsburgh while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Criminal Justice Programs

Other Programs Available in Pittsburgh

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Pittsburgh:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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